Lighting has been typically accomplished by filament light bulbs for about the past 100 years, as originally developed by Thomas Edison (the “Edison Bulb”). Filament light bulbs come in many sizes and use various illuminations based on amounts of energy they consume, e.g., 25 Watts, 40 Watts, 60 Watts, 100 Watts and up. The Edison Bulb uses a threaded base that screws into a standardized base receptacle, which is used to mechanically hold the bulb and provide electrical connectivity to the light bulb (the “Edison Base”). Edison Bulbs are not energy efficient as a significant amount of the energy they consume is converted to heat instead of light. The Edison Bulbs generally emit omni-directional light.
Due to the inefficiency of the Edison Bulb, governments around the world have initiated regulations that will eventually eliminate them from the market. Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are considered an energy efficient successor to filament-based Edison Bulbs. As the world migrates away from the Edison Bulb, a large market opportunity will develop for replacement devices that integrate with the millions of existing lamps with an Edison Bulb receptacle (an “Edison Base”).
When lamps are illuminated using Edison Bulbs, the harsh light emitted by the bulb often requires a diffuser. Lampshades serve this purpose. Lampshades have been developed of varying shapes, sizes and materials. Not only do lampshades diffuse bulb light, they are commonly considered an important component in decorating. Today, millions of lamps around the world use lampshades on desks, tables, floors, or wall-mounted lamps.